Tailgate Party Recipes and Snack Ideas

Who's ready for some football … party food? It's that time of year again when football games break up the holiday celebrations. Get the party started by bringing a restaurant favorite home. Yeah, it's time to fry up your own bloomin' onion. Add to your football buffet with spicy-sweet deviled eggs, a spread that captures all the flavors of an Italian hoagie sandwich, and pigs in a blanket. Of course, you need to keep the football theme front and center and you can do that by making your food into the telltale shape. That's right: Impress partygoers with a crab football spread and Oreo football cookie balls. Whether your team triumphs or not, the food is sure to be a winner!

Time to heat up the frying oil! If you've ever salivated over this signature appetizer at a restaurant, it's time to try making it at home. This recipe for the bloomin' onion from Instructables walks you through how to make this fried favorite. For the dipping sauce, mix half mayo with half barbecue sauce.

Mix cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, crabmeat, cottage cheese, seafood seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and prepared mustard to start this dish. Form the mixture into a familiar shape to delight game watchers. Yes, it's time to make a crab football spread from Taste of Home!

Pack all the flavor of a sandwich into a dip! Chop up turkey breast, salami, provolone cheese, green onions, mayo and pepperoncini peppers – and toss with Italian vinaigrette and chopped Roma tomatoes. Serve with buttery crackers to the side. No wonder Snack Picks calls this recipe the awesome Italian hoagie spread.

Bring out cheers from the crowd when you serve up a tray or two of these bite-sized goodies. This pigs in a blanket recipe from Pillsbury is super easy to make. Wrap crescent roll dough around cocktail sausages and bake. Fifteen minutes later, you're ready to feed a crowd.

Oreo cookie crumbs mixed with cream cheese and then rolled into football shapes? Sign us up! These Oreo football cookie balls from Kraft are fun to make and eat. Chocolate fans and football fans unite!